In addition to consumption, the advent of alternative energies of generation and storage of electric power diversifies the scheme of an interactive energy service (smart grid) between a public service company and a customer relating to investment, adjustment, and management. In conventional systems, public service companies such as an electric power company, gas company, and water company perform equipment management, capital investment, or the like in units of facilities of the customer, for the stabilization of energy supply.
Demand response control (interactive energy management with a fusion of communication and electric power), by which an electric power company integrally handles the aggregation of consumption, generation, and storage of electric power, is known. In this technique, consumption is controlled in units of facilities of a customer (household or industry) and generation and storage of electric power are controlled in units of facilities of an electric power company, but a method by which the public service company manages equipment in the facility of the customer is undisclosed.
In addition, a communication method between a master meter and a plurality of submeters, the purpose of which is to grasp electric power consumption information in the facility in a customer, is known. In this method, the exchange of the consumption information between a public service company and a customer is disclosed, but management including generation and storage of electric power is undisclosed.
As can be seen, conventional energy management systems carry out management only in units of facilities of the customer, which makes the unit (margin) of contract or adjustment larger, reducing the efficiency of accuracy of equipment management or capital investment for the stabilization of energy supply. Furthermore, conventional techniques have not disclosed specific methods pertaining to optimization of the entire energy infrastructure including generation and storage of electric power that provides a new trend, and integrated management of reverse power flow into a system, peak cut, and peak shaving.
There is a problem in that it is difficult to grasp roles including consumption, generation, and storage of electric power, and to carry out seamless management from a superordinate to a subordinate in an energy infrastructure.